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Time in Iatar
Time in Iatar has changed over the ages just as time has changed Iatar over the ages. It is popularly held that time began when the Titans began forming Iatar out of the Chaos, and that the Titans then entered into time themselves, though there are many who believe that time pre-existed even the Titans. Either way, now time presses ever-forward, and it leaves its mark wherever it goes. Skjorvir's Order Since the beginning of the Chaos Era, time has been under the control of Skjorvir, God of the Sky. He splits the day from the night, and mandates the passing of seasons and years. Skjorvir has set the Sun in motion such that it rises to its zenith at the same time each day of the year, but that throughout the year, it moves at different speeds through the sky. This results in longer days during the start and end of the year, and shorter ones during the middle of the year, creating the seasonal changes in temperature across Iatar. He set the Moon in motion such that it opposes the Sun at all points during each day. Common Denominations of Time Throughout the mortals of Iatar, a fairly common set of denominations for time are held as standard. A day is defined as being one passage of the Sun and Moon, and is usually defined as beginning when the Sun rises. Weeks in Iatar The 5-day week is commonly used by most of the civilised peoples in Iatar. Since Tor is widely believed to have led the Gods in the final battle that freed mortals from the tyranny of the Titans, the week is centred around a day named after Him, Torsday, and many mortals set this day aside to worship the Gods, praising them for their victory over the Titans all those years ago. The New Pantheic Year Ever since the Chaos Era began, the months have been named after the new Gods, and reflect certain Gods' character or domain in where during the year their month lies. For instance, Tor's Gift is the first month as it reflects the beginning of the new age of freedom. Amnar's Vigil lies at the end of the year as it represents Amnar's endless watch over Iatar, year in and year out. Llyra's Harvest is the beginning of Spring, Marat's Sorrow is the end of Winter, and so on and so forth. Counting Years under Skjorvir's Order Years are traditionally counted from the start of the rule of the Gods, and that is now called 1CE (The first year of the Chaos Era). Most cultures also split that time into two periods, from the beginning of the rule of the Gods, and from the day of the Gods departure. These two dates happen to lie at the same time during the year (a seeming coincidence more fully explored in the account of The Cataclysm), so one Era flows smoothly into the next. The Chaos Era spanned 1972 years, so the year 1TE, is equivalent to 1973CE. Some cultures, especially those further from the site of The Cataclysm, count their years without Eras, starting at the day when the Gods assumed power on Iatar, and going up from there. Time Before Skjorvir's Order During the reign of the Titans, there was no Sun or Moon, and so there was no clear way to count time. No-one knows for sure how long the period between the creation of Iatar and the Great Clash was, and so no-one knows for sure how old Iatar is. People have estimated how long it has been since Man was created, though no-one agrees on the number. People have guessed that it was 5,000 years after man was created that the Gods assumed power, others put the number as high as 25,000, or even as low as 700.